Posted on 04/14/2016 9:09:40 AM PDT by TigerClaws
Federal regulators were instructed to keep a massive fraud investigation – concerning the “Obamaphone” program, meant to help get low-income families cellphone access – under wraps until a day after a controversial vote to expand the program, one of those regulators claims.
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday announced that it would seek $51 million in damages from a cellphone company that allegedly defrauded the federal Lifeline program of nearly $10 million.
The commission’s five members unanimously backed the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), but Republican commissioner Ajit Pai parted from his colleagues in a partial dissent. According to Pai, he and other commissioners were told not to reveal the details of its investigation until April 1, a day after the FCC voted to expand the Lifeline program.
“Commissioners were told that the Notice of Apparent Liability could not be released or publicly discussed until April 1, 2016, conveniently one day after the Commission was scheduled to expand the Lifeline program to broadband,” Pai wrote. “That’s not right.”
Pai did not say who issued that directive. However, it had the effect of preventing public knowledge of widespread fraud in the Lifeline program ahead of a contentious vote on expanding it despite persisting concerns about a lack of internal safeguards.
FCC spokesman Will Wiquist insisted that the timing was completely coincidental. “The timing of the enforcement action was in no way related to the timing of the vote on the program modernization,” he said in an email.
Lifeline has faced controversy over enrollment requirements that its critics say are too lax and vulnerable to fraud. The service, which subsidizes cellphone plans for low-income Americans, allows beneficiaries to enroll using cards issued for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a welfare program that has also faced fraud allegations
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Good for Obama. He got away with it again.
Now, where was the oversight of the Republican Congress which is charged with oversight, inquiry and funding of such programs. Not one Republican in Congress thought to inquire of the GAO before the vote? Clearly, there was a lot of negative publicity surrounding this program with the prospect of fraud, yet not one Republican bothered to upset anything Obama wanted, in the interest of bi-partisanship no doubt.
Fascism.
bttt
I don’t know the details but a guy here in Oklahoma City went to jail over Obama phone fraud. He was living high on the hog and had a private jet at the airport I hang out at. Evidently he was into the program for $25 million collecting money for phones that he had never given out. Now his jet is gone and he is in prison.
Perhaps it will be said by some, that the people are sufficiently guarded against infringements of this nature, as their representatives are chosen only for a certain time, may be called to an account for any misconduct in their business, and withal are liable to be turned out by their constituents at any time. There is indeed something plausible in all this; but it will vanish when we consider that these representatives, while they act as such, being supreme in legislation and the appointing and supporting the executors of law, may, by these advantages, assume to themselves a lasting unlimited power. And I beg of any one to tell me what will prevent it…
31 - Anonymous; American Political Writing During the Founding Era - 1760-1805
CONgre$$?
Most Transparent Administration ever.
Well it is. I saw right through 0bama before he was elected.
Do we need the FCC? What about the Fed?
Amen.
As a volunteer triage interviewer at a local food bank/clothing/etc organization, I have clients talk about the multiple phones they have. One woman I interviewed had six kids ages 11 and up. Everyone had an nobama phone; the Mom had one too. Supposed to be one per family.
We taxpayers are paying outrageous sums of money for this horribly abused program.
These phones are more than redistribution freebies which whitey (or anyone who pays their own way) has to work for. They are C-cubed (communications, command, and control) for rioters and thugs, courtesy of master organizer of chaos, Barack Obama.
That’s an excellent point. Keep the paid for votes and thugs in line for agitation and rioting.
The primary duty of the next President will be to incarcerate most of the members of the current administration.
Can’t have flash mobs without flash communications.
I have a spare phone I keep in my car because my smartphone doesn’t have good coverage once I get into the boonies. The spare phone cost $5 plus $20 every three months. If you can’t scrounge up seven bucks a month maybe you don’t need a phone.
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